PHOTOS: Counterculture flourished during ‘Summer of Love’

Published 9:59 pm, Sunday, June 11, 2017

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ADVANCE FOR USE TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-FILE - In this Jan. 15, 1967 file photo, Timothy Leary, center, leads thousands in a song at the “Human Be-In” on the Golden Gate Park Polo Fields in San Francisco. Dennis McNally, who has curated an exhibit at the California Historical Society, says the national media paid little attention to San Francisco’s psychedelic community until January 1967, when poets and bands joined forces for the “Human Be-In,” which unexpectedly drew about 50,000 people. Leary stood on stage and delivered his famous mantra: “Turn on. Tune In. Drop out.” (AP Photo) less

ADVANCE FOR USE TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-FILE - In this Jan. 15, 1967 file photo, Timothy Leary, center, leads thousands in a song at the “Human Be-In” on the Golden Gate Park Polo ... more

Photo: AP

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ADVANCE FOR USE TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-FILE - In this Thursday, June 21, 1967 file photo, Judy Smith, wearing face paint and flowers in her hair, smiles as she and others gather at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Fifty years ago, throngs of American youth descended on San Francisco to join a cultural revolution. (AP Photo/Robert W. Klein, File) less

ADVANCE FOR USE TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-FILE - In this Thursday, June 21, 1967 file photo, Judy Smith, wearing face paint and flowers in her hair, smiles as she and others gather at Golden Gate ... more

Photo: AP

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ADVANCE FOR USE TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-FILE - In this April 13, 1967 file photo, people gather in the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco. In 2017’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, which had been ground zero for the counterculture, two-bedroom apartments now rent for $5,000 a month. San Francisco remains a magnet for young people, but even those earning six-figure Silicon Valley salaries complain about the cost of living. (AP Photo/Robert W. Klein, File) less

ADVANCE FOR USE TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-FILE - In this April 13, 1967 file photo, people gather in the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco. In 2017’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, which ... more

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ADVANCE FOR USE TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-FILE - In this June 18, 1967 file photo, Jimi Hendrix performs at the Monterey Pop Festival in Monterey, Calif. Before Burning Man and Bonnaroo, Coachella and Lollapalooza, Glastonbury and Governors Island, there was Monterey Pop. (Monterey Herald via AP) less

ADVANCE FOR USE TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-FILE - In this June 18, 1967 file photo, Jimi Hendrix performs at the Monterey Pop Festival in Monterey, Calif. Before Burning Man and Bonnaroo, Coachella ... more

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ADVANCE FOR USE TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-FILE - In this April 3, 1967 file photo, people parade up and down the streets of the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco. They came for the music, the mind-bending drugs, to resist the Vietnam War and 1960s American orthodoxy, or simply to escape summer boredom. And they left an enduring legacy. Fifty years ago, throngs of American youth descended on San Francisco to join a cultural revolution. (AP Photo/Robert W. Klein, File) less

ADVANCE FOR USE TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-FILE - In this April 3, 1967 file photo, people parade up and down the streets of the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco. They came for the music, the ... more

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ADVANCE FOR USE TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-FILE - In this December 1969 file photo, singer Janis Joplin performs with her group Big Brother and the Holding Company. On drums is Dave Getz. The Summer of Love in 1967 marked a turning point in rock and roll history: It introduced America to the exciting new sounds coming out of San Francisco’s local music scene. There was the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Big Brother and the Holding Company, which launched Janis Joplin’s career, and Country Joe and the Fish, a psychedelic rock band. (AP Photo/File) less

ADVANCE FOR USE TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-FILE - In this December 1969 file photo, singer Janis Joplin performs with her group Big Brother and the Holding Company. On drums is Dave Getz. The Summer ... more

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ADVANCE FOR USE TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-FILE - In this March 8, 1968 file photo, members of the rock group Jefferson Airplane pose in San Francisco. From left are, Marty Balin, lead singer, songwriter and founder, Grace Slick, vocalist, Spencer Dryden, drummer, Paul Kantner, electric guitar and vocalist, Jorma Kaukonen, lead guitarist, vocalist and songwriter and Jack Casady, bass guitarist. The Summer of Love in 1967 marked a turning point in rock and roll history: It introduced America to the exciting new sounds coming out of San Francisco’s local music scene. There was the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Big Brother and the Holding Company, which launched Janis Joplin’s career, and Country Joe and the Fish, a psychedelic rock band. (AP Photo/File) less

ADVANCE FOR USE TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017 AND THEREAFTER-FILE - In this March 8, 1968 file photo, members of the rock group Jefferson Airplane pose in San Francisco. From left are, Marty Balin, lead singer, ... more

SAN FRANCISCO >> Fifty years ago, thousands of young Americans descended on San Francisco to join a cultural revolution known as the Summer of Love.

It marked a fusion of political protest, art and music and introduced the world to local bands that would stake a place in rock-and-roll history, like the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane.

San Francisco is celebrating the anniversary with exhibits, festivals and performances that explore its counterculture past and pay tribute to a pivotal moment in American history.